damnedest to find their Lieutenant’s body and extract it — and then they would find the M4 bullet in him. .
Dima put a hand on his shoulder. ‘This much I can say about Solomon. You put what I’ve told you with what you know and take that back to your superiors. They’re not going to want to hear it at first. Even if one of them makes an inquiry about him to Langley, they’re quite likely to tell him to fuck off. Solomon is an untouchable as far as they’re concerned. They’re not going to pull him in and wreck years of what they consider to be high value infiltration just on the say-so of a Marine with a hunch. You are going to have to work hard to convince them. Solomon finds his way to America with one of those bombs, he’s going to need someone on his case. You’ve seen the maps, you’ve seen first-hand how he operates and you’ve seen the device. And you have what I’ve told you.’
There was another massive blast and the bunker collapsed completely, sending a huge choking cloud of dust and smoke rolling towards them. They retreated into the tunnel to get away from it — and kept going. Neither of them said anything as they travelled what must have been half a mile underground.
The tunnel was fairly smooth underfoot, but snaked left and right. The ceiling was low and they had to stoop. The air was stale and damp, but cooler. Blackburn’s helmet torch showed them the way. They stumbled along in complete silence.
Like the one at the entrance to the tunnel, the door at the end was wide open — but the rusty scar across the floor and the blast marks around the old-fashioned locking mechanism suggested that it had been recently prised open, and whoever had come through hadn’t bothered to shut it.
They took their time to let their eyes adjust to the blinding daylight. The exit, half-shrouded in shrubbery, was into a small valley of cypresses. A few metres below the mouth of the tunnel was a track with a fork. To the right it led southeast, up towards a cleft in the mountains, to the left it dropped into a valley and curved north.
Dima studied the ground: fresh tyre tracks. Someone had been here recently and made a turn right by the entrance.
54
It was just before three, the hottest part of the day. The air gushing into the tunnel felt as if it was coming from an open oven. Dima went first, motioning to Blackburn to stay back until he signalled him. He surveyed the area around the mouth of the tunnel: a few cypress trees, a track that ran from the southeast going north. Apart from a half-ruined stone shed about two hundred metres away, there were no signs of habitation. He examined the ground.
‘What are you looking for?’
‘Tracks. And they’re recent. Look.’
Blackburn crouched down with him.
‘See the way those blades of grass are broken but still green. And here.’ He circled an area in the dust. ‘Tyre track, wide tread: pickup or SUV.’
Dima’s phone was still on him. He felt it buzz in his pocket. Kroll.
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Dima and Blackburn made their way over to the remains of the shed. Some camo netting had been spread between the walls for cover. Inside was a beaten-up Toyota Land Cruiser. Kroll and Vladimir appeared from behind a wall. Vladimir had a makeshift bandage on his head, and Kroll a strip of shirt tied round his arm. For Dima, the relief of seeing them was overshadowed by what he knew was coming next.
Vladimir spoke first.
‘Zirak and Gregorin didn’t make it. Nor Kristen.’
‘Amara?’
He nodded at the rear seat of the Land Cruiser.
‘She’s a bit banged up, nothing broken. The Americans dug her out, then when the rest of the chalet collapsed they forgot about her. We’d legged it when they turned their fire on the AAs, but we maintained surveillance until we spotted her, then we lifted the truck.’
Kroll beckoned Dima over to the SUV. He looked at the bundle curled up on the rear seat: dusty, dishevelled and in shock, but alive.
Kroll spoke first. ‘Kristen had shown her the escape route on her first visit. So once we’d found it we decided to hang out in case you showed up. We didn’t know if you would, obviously.’
Vladimir was glaring at Blackburn. Dima gestured at his new comrade.
‘Among other things, he saved my life. Give him some water.’
Kroll passed them a bottle of water each.
‘We’re fresh out of sparkling.’
As they drank it down he shook a cigarette out of a pack.
Dima gave them the essentials of what had happened. Out of deference to Blackburn he skipped the business with Cole.
‘But we have a far more urgent situation: it’s called Solomon.’
Kroll’s lighter paused in mid-air.
‘Go ahead and light it. You’ll probably need another after what I’m about to tell you.’
They sat in the shade of the camo net while Dima gave them the highlights of Blackburn’s story — the beheading, the maps and the remaining nuke in the bank vault. When he had finished, Kroll hung his head.
‘I think I’d rather go back to prison,’ said Vladimir.
Kroll drew heavily on his cigarette and gave Dima a look. ‘I hope that’s not your “Anyone for Paris?” face.’
Dima ignored him. ‘We don’t know how long we’ve got: put that down as a known unknown. Whether Solomon has his own people already in place there and in New York, just waiting for the nukes to be delivered — that joins a long list of unknown unknowns.’
‘Yeah, like who in Moscow tipped off Kaffarov.’
Kroll wasn’t one to hide his indignation.
Dima turned to Blackburn.
‘I guess this is the moment you decide what you’re going to do.’
Blackburn looked pale, still stunned by the events of the last half hour. Eventually he spoke.
‘There’s only one choice. I have to get back to my company.’
‘What condition was the chalet in when you left?’ Dima asked.
Kroll made a tumbling gesture with his hands.
‘They backed off after the rest of the front collapsed. Don’t think anyone’s going back in there.’
Blackburn and Dima exchanged a look. Blackburn set the water bottle down.
‘Guess it’s time.’
Vladimir turned to Dima. ‘And that’s not a problem for us? We don’t want the US Army on our tail.’
They all looked at Dima. Blackburn could go back to his superiors with a version of what had just happened and they could come right after them.
It was Blackburn who broke the silence, suddenly calm and resolute. He addressed Kroll and Vladimir. ‘Your comrade saved my life today. And he witnessed something that would put me behind bars for the rest of my life. We have a mutual interest in each other’s survival.’
Dima turned to Blackburn, who had got to his feet.
‘Sure you wouldn’t rather stick with us?’
It was the first time he’d seen a smile onBlackburn’s face. Suddenly he looked much younger.
‘I’m flattered by your offer, Dima. But I think I might cramp your style.’
Dima looked at the track that led up to the cleft between the two mountains.
‘Well, would you like us to see you to the top?’
‘I think I better do this one alone — should an Osprey show up.’
Dima shook his hand. ‘One question, if it’s not too personal. How old are you?’
